Volleyball Announces Three Signings For Next SeasonThe 2013 Fall early signing period is underway

UConn head coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien announced the signing of three players for next season this week.

Nov. 19, 2013

STORRS, Conn. - With the 2013 Fall early signing period underway, head coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien and the UConn women's volleyball team have announced the signing of three student-athletes to the class of 2018. Tosin Adeniyi (Springfield, Ill.), Kenya Cason (Columbus, Ohio) and Katherine Towslee (Woodinville, Wash.) will head to Storrs to bolster the UConn roster beginning in the 2014 season.

"We are so excited to officially have Kenya, Kat and Tosin join the UConn family," Strauss-O'Brien said. "All three of these talented young women are winners in the classroom and on the volleyball court."

Adeniyi (pronounced To-SEE A-denny) comes to Connecticut by way of Chatham-Glenwood High School in Chatham, Ill. The 6'2 middle blocker has earned All-Conference honors in Illinois as a junior and senior, and captained her squad during her senior campaign. Adeniyi is also a two-time Academic All-Conference performer.

"Tosin has the drive and work ethic on top of being a natural gifted athlete. She is a student-athlete that can go from good to great quickly," Strauss-O'Brien said. "She has a hammer of an arm with the capability of being a major terminator for us."

Also hailing from the Midwest, Cason joins the Huskies via St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio. A 5'11 outside hitter, Cason had a decorated career both for St. Francis DeSales in the Central Catholic League and for COVBC and Mintovette on the club circuit.

After leading her team in blocks as a freshman in 2010 and again as a sophomore in 2011, Cason earned three consecutive First Team All-CCL nods from 2011-13, helping St. Francis DeSales to three consecutive district titles, two regional championships and the 2012 Central Catholic League Crown. She also led her squad in kills in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, Cason was named Central Catholic League Player of the Year and Second Team All-Ohio. She finished her career among the top-20 all-time in kills in the state of Ohio. Also successful in the classroom, Cason spent 12 straight quarters on the honor roll during her freshman, sophomore and junior years and was a member of the National Honor Society.

"Kenya loves to win," Strauss-O'Brien said. "She plays hard and smart all the time. She is the type of player who competes with her heart on her sleeve and is contagious to those around her. Kenya is a well-rounded player in combination of a natural leader, and her fast arm in combination with her court vision and ability to play six rotations will allow her to be a successful pin player at this level and help our program get to where we want to go."

Joining UConn from the furthest away of any current or future Husky, Towslee joins the program from Woodinville, Wash. A 6'3 outside hitter, Towslee has starred the last four years at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammanish, Wash., playing under head coach Angie McKinnell. She was an All-League Honorable Mention in 2011 before earning First Team laurels in 2012 and 2013, two years she also spent captaining her team. During her first two years, Towslee led Eastside Catholic to a pair of state runner-up finishes.

"Kat is a highly competitive and talented athlete. She is always aspiring to be the best she can be in order to make the team better," Strauss-O'Brien said. "Kat wants a championship and she certainly has the tools to help our program earn one. Kat's versatility as an attacker will prove valuable at both the right and left side attacking positions. We look forward to seeing what she'll do in UConn Blue!"

The three newcomers will join a UConn squad that is expected to lose just one senior from the 2013 iteration. The Class of 2018 will be the first to play a full slate in the new version of the American Athletic Conference, which adds ECU, Tulane and Tulsa to the volleyball ranks next season.

"I wholeheartedly believe that these three can help our team to a higher level of success in the near future and the long term," Strauss-O'Brien said. "We have great young players on our team now, and adding these newcomers will strengthen us even more as we look to win championships."